Tic Tac Toe (A Suspense Novel)

by Kel E. Mitchell

  Max nodded his understanding, and she continued, “I’ve decided it’s time to scatter my parents’ ashes. I think that all of us could use some closure.” Irene cleared her throat and tried to get a handle on her emotions before she added, “It’s going to be hard for me, but I know that if I ever want the chance to live . . . I need to let go.”

  Chapter 68

  December 27

  The next day Max and Irene left for Martha’s Vineyard. She thought that this was the perfect place to scatter her parents’ ashes. Her father owned a home on the beautiful western shoreline, and it was on an exclusive beach nearby where her parents got engaged.

  Max and Irene walked silently down the long pier and stood side by side for some time before either of them spoke – taking in the breathtaking scene. He looked over at her – noticing the internal struggle she was having – and realized just how difficult today was going to be for her. Despite the fact that she’d already made her decision to let go, now that the time was here, it was obvious that it was easier said than done. His voice was quiet as he said understandingly, “You know, you don’t have to do this.”

  She turned her head to look at him as she responded, “I need to, Max.” He nodded and placed his hand supportively on her shoulder. Irene smiled at him reassuringly and then took a deep breath. He held her father’s crematory urn while she held her mother’s. As they stood on the dock, they removed the lids of the urns and placed them on the weathered wooden planks. When Irene spoke, he could hear the emotion in her voice as she said softly, “Even though you’ve made mistakes . . . I still love you, Dad.” She then looked down at her mother’s urn and could feel the tears that threatened. She took several breaths and tried to collect her composure. “I love you, Mom. You always were an angel . . . you still are.”

  After a moment or two, Irene looked at Max and nodded. The two of them scattered her parents’ ashes into the ocean and watched as the sea carried them away until they vanished from sight. She finally felt a sense of peace – her parents were together again – just as they’d always wanted to be.

  ***

  “You okay?” Max questioned, his tone of voice concerned.

  Irene paused for a moment to contemplate his question and to reflect on all that had happened. She felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders – a burden that she’d been carrying much longer than she had ever realized. A slight smile touched her face as she responded, “Yeah . . . yeah, I’m okay.”

  Neither of them spoke for a while, and then, after a respectful amount of silence, he questioned, “Are you ready to go?” She nodded and he bent down to pick up the lids to the crematory urns that they’d placed on the dock. He put the lid on Duncan’s urn and was in the process of handing the other lid to Irene when he noticed something secured inside of the lid. “What’s this?” he questioned. He stood up and moved closer to her so that she could see it.

  She looked closely, her face confused. “I have no idea.” He pulled away the tape – revealing a key behind it. He removed the key – holding it in his hand. They were completely bewildered by it. “I wonder what it goes to.”

  Max shrugged his shoulders. “Who knows?” He studied the key more closely and found an insignia with the letter “M” and two smaller “Cs” molded into it on one side and the number “31” on the other. “Look at this,” he said as he handed the key to her.

  “What do you think it stands for, and what’s it doing in the lid of my mom’s urn? Why would anybody put a key there?”

  He thought to himself for a moment as he tried to deduce an explanation. Suddenly he looked intently at her, and his voice was a whisper. “That’s a good question. Who would put a key there and why?” He paused to collect his thoughts before he continued, “I wonder who this key belongs to – and what it unlocks.”

  “But why would somebody put it there in the first place – it may never have been found – it probably wouldn’t have been if we hadn’t stumbled upon it today.”

  “Whoever put it there probably didn’t want it to be found unless . . . the right person came across it.”

  Irene looked puzzled and asked, “Do you think someone in my family was meant to find it?”

  “We can’t be certain, but it seems reasonable. After all, your family was really the only one with access to your mother’s remains.”

  “That only leaves my father and me – and why would anyone leave it for me to find? I don’t even know what it goes to.”

  “Well, whoever put it there didn’t do so simply by chance. Do you think your dad left it for you? And if so, why didn’t he just give it to you?”

  Chapter 69

  Later that day, Max and Irene sat in her father’s study and searched for any clues about the letters “MCC” and the emblem on the key. She sat at Duncan’s desk while she searched the internet for leads. Max sat in a leather chair across the room from her, his laptop placed on top of an ottoman as he too looked for any information that could point them in the right direction. They’d been searching for hours when she finally broke the silence. “I think I found something!” she said excitedly.

  At the sound of her voice, he glanced up hurriedly from his computer and walked quickly over to where she sat. “Look,” she said as she pointed to the computer screen. Max rested one hand on the desk and leaned over her shoulder so that he could see the screen. He listened attentively while she launched into an explanation of what she had found. “There’s a country club in Providence, Rhode Island, called Mapleridge Country Club. Its insignia matches the one on the we key found exactly!”

  He looked carefully at the screen for a few moments and then said, “That’s it. That’s the place.”

  She tilted her head up to look at him as she questioned, “So, what do we do now?”

  “Let’s check it out. What do you say we take a drive to Providence tomorrow?”

  “I’m game.”

  Irene then looked carefully at Max and couldn’t help but notice that he seemed preoccupied, as if he were contemplating something very serious. She touched his arm softly to get his attention. “Are you all right?”

  He looked down at her face, her eyes wide with worry. He gently placed one of his hands on the side of her neck as he responded, “I’m fine.”

  “Then what is it? What’s bothering you?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing.” He moved his hand from her neck to the back of her chair and then grinned wryly as he continued, “I was just thinking how ironic it is that . . .” his voice trailed off.

  “What?”

  “That the key we found unlocks something at a country club in a city named Providence.”

  Chapter 70

  December 28

  Max and Irene left the next day for Rhode Island – hoping to discover answers to their questions. They felt a huge sense of relief when they arrived at the Mapleridge Country Club and found the intricate, wrought iron gates open. They drove through the gates and up the circular drive to the parking lot where Max parked the car in a secluded spot shaded by large trees – hoping that the less attention they drew to themselves, the better off they’d be.

  He turned in his seat to face Irene as he said, “Let’s go over the plan one more time.” He took a breath and then continued, “I’ll go in first to see if there’s a number 31 in the men’s locker room. You’ll wait here until you here from me – okay?”

  “Got it.”

  “If the key doesn’t work, I’ll come back out, and then you’ll go in and check the women’s – right?”

  Irene nodded. She glanced around at her surroundings and couldn’t help adding in a worried tone of voice, “Do you think anyone will notice me here? Maybe I should wait in the lobby.”

  He shook his head. “No – you’ll never blend in – trust me,” he said with a grin. “You’re impossible not to notice. People are more likely to wonder what you’re up to inside the lobb
y. No one will question you sitting in the car.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  He took her hand assuredly as he said, “It’ll be okay, Irene. Don’t worry.”

  She studied his face for a moment, and when she spoke, her voice sounded anxious. “So, how exactly do you plan on getting to the men’s locker room without anyone becoming suspicious?”

  “Simple. I’m going to go through the front door and then walk to the locker room.”

  “What if somebody sees you?”

  “That’s the point. People are going to see me, and no one is going to think a thing of it.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because as Luke would say, ‘Don’t act guilty, and no one will think you are.’”

  Her breathing was shallow because of her apprehension. “I hope this works.”

  “Yeah, me too,” he responded seriously. He leaned across the seat and gave her a swift kiss before he climbed out of the car. He grabbed his black gym bag and then shut the door firmly behind him. Irene watched as he made his way to the elegant front entrance where he disappeared inside. She looked at her watch and took a deep breath.

  Trying to distract herself from all the possible scenarios that could go wrong, Irene opened her purse and pulled out a Sudoku puzzle book. She flipped through the pages looking for a blank puzzle – only to realize she had finished them all. With that, she turned the booklet over and began to doodle on the back cover. She drew a tic-tac-toe board and started playing the game alone – anything to help pass the time. She played several times – all of the games ending in deadlock. Soon not even this diversion could ease her nervousness, and she put the booklet away. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the back of the seat. All she could do now was wait.

  Chapter 71

  Max walked through the entrance and into the lobby which was lavishly decorated in shades of gold and cream with crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The room was bright and airy from the numerous windows and mirrors lining the walls. French doors led outside to a large veranda and spacious, immaculate grounds.

  He surveyed the room for a moment but then moved quickly through the crowded lobby. A female employee glanced in his direction – yet before she could ask any questions, he smiled broadly and said flirtatiously, “How’s it going? It’s nice to see you again.”

  Her face turned red, and when she spoke, she stumbled over her words. “What? Oh, I mean . . . it’s nice to see you again too.” She giggled, and he gave her another dashing smile as he turned the full force of his charm on her.

  With that, he moved past her and walked through a door leading out of the lobby and into a hallway. He looked up and down the hall for a moment as he tried to decide which direction would take him to the locker rooms. He couldn’t risk parading around the entire country club. If he looked like he didn’t know where he was going, someone was bound to realize he wasn’t a member.

  Just then, a young couple walked by, both holding gym bags. Max decided it was a pretty safe bet that they were on their way to the locker rooms, so he followed them. He forced himself to keep his pace slow and to walk casually, but it was difficult for him. He was anxious to get his hands on whatever was in that locker and then get out as fast as possible. The couple stopped in a waiting area just outside of the locker rooms so they could finish their conversation. The women’s locker room was to the left and the men’s was to the right. The couple was engrossed in conversation and didn’t bother giving him more than a passing glance as he strode past them.

  He walked through the door on the right into the men’s locker room. There were a few members inside, but for the most part, it was empty. Max glanced quickly at the locker numbers to figure out where in the room number 31 would come. He rounded a corner into a cubicle. This was his lucky day – there was no one in it. He spotted locker number 31 and quickly set his gym bag down on the bench as he drew the key from his pocket. His hands were shaking, and he fumbled with the key. He steadied himself and tried again – this time successfully inserting the key – the whole time praying that it would fit. He turned the key, and to his immense relief the locker opened.

  Max looked quickly from side to side to make sure that no one was observing him and then reached inside. He drew out a bulky manila envelope and glanced at it briefly. The suspense was unbearable, but he knew that he couldn’t risk opening it there. He unzipped his gym bag, put the envelope inside, and zipped it back up. He glanced once more inside the locker to make sure he hadn’t left anything behind, shut the locker, and re-locked it. He put the key back in his pocket, grabbed his gym bag off the bench, and swiftly left the locker room.

  He retraced his steps down the long hallway until he entered the lobby once again. The female employee he’d spoken with when he first arrived was still there, and she waved at him. He slowed his pace, and he tried to act calm and composed. He forced a smile and raised his hand in response. She blushed again and hurried to catch up to him.

  When she spoke, her voice sounded coy, but he knew that despite the pretense, she was anything but timid. “Are you leaving already? You just got here.”

  “I know, but unfortunately I’ve been called back to the office.”

  “Well, I hope you found something today that was worth the trip.”

  Max suppressed his laughter and raised an eyebrow. This time when he smiled, his grin was genuine. “I can assure you . . . I did.”

  Chapter 72

  Irene sat tapping her fingers on the glove box of the car while she waited for Max. She was nervous and as a result couldn’t seem to hold still. It seemed like he had been gone much longer than the time on the clock showed. Finally, he emerged from the entrance, and she sat up straight in her seat. She unlocked the doors and watched as he approached the car. He circled around to the driver’s side and got in. Before he had a chance to shut the door or say anything, she asked anxiously, “Did the key work? Was anything in the locker?”

  He closed the door as he responded, “Yeah . . . I have it right here.”

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t looked yet.” He reached into his bag and pulled out the manila envelope. He opened the flap and looked inside. “What the . . .”

  “What is it?”

  Max reached in and pulled out several cassette tapes. “Tapes – they’d better not be the 80s greatest hits,” he said sarcastically. “That’s great! My car doesn’t have a tape deck. Can you even buy a new car with a tape deck anymore?”

  Irene let out a frustrated sigh. “Well, that’s just fantastic. Now we have to wait until we get home to find out what’s on them. I hope I still have that old stereo in the closet of my dance studio.”

  ***

  Because Max and Irene were so anxious to listen to the tapes, the drive back to Boston seemed much longer than it actually was. When they finally arrived, the two rushed into her house and down the hall toward the dance studio. As hoped, the stereo was still in the closet. They quickly removed it and sat down with it on the wood floor. Irene nervously took one of the tapes out of the envelope and then put it into the cassette player. She pressed play and for a few seconds, they both heard nothing but the sound of their own uneven breathing.

  Suddenly they heard a voice on the tape – one they recognized immediately. It was the late Judge William Duncan. But instead of his voice sounding calm and controlled like they were used to, he sounded agitated – almost at a breaking point. “It’s about time you got here. How many times have I told you, I don’t like having to wait.”

  The two leaned in closer to the stereo and held their breath as they waited for a response. After what felt like an eternity, another male voice on the recording responded, “Tough. Get used to disappointment. This is a game, and if you haven’t noticed . . . we’re playing by my rules now, and you’re losing!”

  “That’s what you think,
you little punk,” Duncan shot back. “If I pull out of the game, you end up with nothing. Do you hear me, Walker?” Her father’s voice sounded smug.

  “But you’re not going to do that are you, Duncan? No, you’re not going to do that because you love money, and the only thing you love more than money is power. You’re the king – the one who decides how cases turn out – the one who decides who wins and who gets screwed.”

  There was a pause, and then the voice continued, “How’s it feel, Duncan? How does it feel to be the loser?” The other man laughed menacingly, and when he spoke again, his tone was full of triumph. “Come on. Don’t make this any harder on yourself. Just admit that I was able to outsmart you and that everything that used to be yours is now mine – the money, the power, Tweed.”

  At the mention of Tweed’s name, Max and Irene exchanged shocked glances, not quite able to register what they had just heard. They listened to the rest of the tape, neither saying a word until it ended.

  When Irene finally was able to speak, her voice was faint. “I don’t believe it. It has to be the same Tweed, doesn’t it?”

  Max ran his hand through his hair, shook his head, and then let out a deep sigh. “It has to be. I mean how many Tweeds are there really – none. And, the fact that she was involved with your father . . . there’s no way it’s a coincidence.”

  Suddenly Irene recalled a portion of the conversation. “My dad said the other guy’s name didn’t he? What did he call him . . . Walker?”

  “Do you know anybody with that name?”

  She thought to herself for a moment and then shook her head. “If I do, I can’t remember them.” Irene could tell that Max was considering something carefully. “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m not quite sure exactly. Let’s see if we find out anything else on the other tapes.” Hours later, after listening to the rest of the tapes, they had no additional information about the man blackmailing Duncan. Max rubbed his chin thoughtfully and was quiet for a moment as he decided what course of action they should take. “Let’s give Luke a call. He may have some ideas where we should go from here. We’ve been staring at the same scenery for too long.”